Kansas City Chiefs star Matt Araiza finally made his NFL debut Thursday night – nine months after the punter was dropped in a sexual assault lawsuit.
Araiza, 24, was released by the Buffalo Bills in August 2022 after a woman alleged that he and other San Diego University players raped her at an off-campus party in October 2021.
She claimed that the then 21-year-old football player had sex with her in the side yard of a house and then took her into a bedroom where a group of men took turns raping her.
However, after he filed a countersuit for defamation against her, the woman agreed to exclude him from her lawsuit in December last year.
Araiza also withdrew his countersuit against them to put an end to the ordeal before being signed by the Chiefs, two-time Super Bowl champions, two months later.
Kansas City Chiefs punter Matt Araiza finally made his NFL debut on Thursday night
His move to Kansas City sparked controversy in February, with some fans criticizing the organization for signing him, while others insisted he deserved a second chance.
And nine months after the sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed, Araiza was finally able to make his NFL debut in the Chiefs’ season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
The former San Diego player came into the game early in the second quarter for Kansas City on Thursday night to punt the ball, sending his kick deep into Baltimore’s half.
Nicknamed the “Punt God,” Araiza was named an All-American in 2021 for his powerful kicks that helped San Diego State to a school-best 12-2 season his senior year.
He was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but was released two days after the lawsuit was filed.
“My name, my reputation – that will be linked to me forever, that will not go away,” Araiza said at a press conference in December.
Araiza, 24, was released by the Buffalo Bills in August 2022 after a woman alleged that he and other San Diego University players raped her at an off-campus party in October 2021
Araiza punted for Kansas City in its season-opening game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night after the woman agreed to drop the lawsuit last December.
“It was hard to see the pain it caused my family because my innocence has been proven, but they certainly had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
He added: “When I got released, I was an NFL starter and had just beaten an NFL veteran. I had a four-year contract and I’m not getting that back.”
“Nobody in the NFL would say, ‘This is the job you once had,’ so my main goal right now is to get back to where I was.”
“I’m confident I can resume my NFL career – whenever that may be. I think it’s more a matter of when than if.”
